This time of year always brings the Emerald Isle back to mind, as my husband and I spent our first year or marriage living in Belfast. The enchanted landscapes charmed us and the people warmed our hearts.

Photo by Hung Quach

While there, I had the opportunity to contribute some calligraphy to a Kinfolk dinner, hosted in Dublin. The farm-to-table feast was grounded in the idea of what lies "Beneath the Surface," and the theme of the evening was derived from this well-known Irish poem:

"Digging," by Seamus Heaney

Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.

Under my window, a clean rasping sound When the spade sinks into gravelly ground: My father, digging. I look down

Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds Bends low, comes up twenty years away Stooping in rhythm through potato drills Where he was digging.

The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft Against the inside knee was levered firmly. He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep To scatter new potatoes that we picked, Loving their cool hardness in our hands.

By God, the old man could handle a spade. Just like his old man.

My grandfather cut more turf in a day Than any other man on Toner’s bog. Once I carried him milk in a bottle Corked sloppily with paper. He straightened up To drink it, then fell to right away Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods Over his shoulder, going down and down For the good turf. Digging.

The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge Through living roots awaken in my head. But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.

Each plate was dressed with a printed copy of the words as a way to invite all into the evening—filled with root vegetable dishes and all things earthy. The stone walls and simple decor set the stage for the flavorful food from the earth to shine.

The combination of rich greens, greys, and browns will always remind me of this magical evening, and the celebration of what happens below the ground, and behind the scenes.

Get ready for a whole lotta links. I've written quite a bit about the wedding paper process over the last couple of years, and I find myself often pointing brides in the direction of the resources that I've compiled.

Don't know how to word your wedding invitations? I've written out a few of my favorite options. Want to go for vintage stamps, but aren't sure where to begin? I've written a little 101. Want to figure out more ways to use your gorgeous custom monogram wedding wax seal? I'm all over it.

If you're getting married this year, take a look through the following articles and learn a thing or two about how to craft, embellish, and time your wedding-related correspondence. As always, I'm here to answer whatever question you might have as you navigate the planning process!

Often, Save the Dates are your first touchpoint with wedding guests. For many brides and grooms, it may be the first time you've seen you and your fiancé's name and wedding date on paper. When you see it all on paper, it starts to get real!

Your first piece of written communication with guests can set the tone for your event (matching the formality and/or eventual design themes of your wedding suite) or it can be an opportunity for a fun, creative expression of your personality as a couple.

The most important thing, however, is that you include all the information that folks will need as they make their plans to travel to and attend your wedding. For that reason, many couples opt to include a wedding url on the save the date where they'll house all of the bits and bobbles of information that won't fit and don't need to be on the wedding invitations themselves. (Ie: Hotel blocks, registry information, wedding party bios, travel guides for destination weddings, etc.)

Here are just seven fun ideas for getting the word out.

1. Circle that Calendar Date.

I recently created this simple card for a couple looking forward to their fall wedding. Per the bride's suggestion, we circled (or rather, hearted) the wedding by hand in a red pen, eliminating the need for a second printed color.

2. Photo strip fun.

Who doesn't love some good photo booth fun? This classic, yet still-cute idea is a great way to give your guests a little insight into your relationship. Are you playful? Romantic? Use your four little squares to showcase a bit of who you are to guests who may or may not know both you and your spouse-to-be.

Image c/o Bridal Musings Blog

3. Photo envelope liner.

I love this one, as it's a great way to include a photograph, without having to go the full photo-card route. (Ahem: you could still print a beautiful letterpress card and bring a full-color photo in with the envelope.)

Image c/o Cards and Pockets Blog

4. Keep it super simple.

All you need is love, and your guests really need to know is their presence is being requested for your big day. Just be sure to tell them when and where. Even if you don't know much else, by sending out this information, you're making it clear that you want them to be there!

Image c/o NL Designer

5. Include the party.

A wedding is a celebration, so why not start the party early? A little sew-on pack of confetti is a sweet way to signal the joyous occasion and bring a little color and texture into your paper design.

Image c/o Bridal Musings

6. Accordion Fold-Out

I've done a couple of fold-out projects in my day, and I've always loved how they've turned out. If you've got lots to communicate, rather than doing a two-sided card, this can be a great way to include all of the details in a visually compelling way. Also, the cover can be letterpressed and the interior pages printed digitally (meaning multi-color options are less expensive).

Design by Inclosed Studio image via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Design by Inclosed Studio image via Oh So Beautiful Paper

7. Inflated Message

I love the suspense this one builds. A simple message invites your guests to blow up the balloon to get the information they'll need about your upcoming celebration. What a fun way to share the news! These 1-color font-driven cards are also a great option for letterpress and the custom balloons can be created an ordered as cheaply as $.08 each on sites like this.

Image via Oh Happy Day

Image via Oh Happy Day

Are you getting married soon? Don't delay letting your guests know. I'm happy to help you brainstorm ideas and get started with your first piece of wedding correspondence.

Last week, on myinstagram account, I shared an idea that I implemented for my husband's surprise 40th birthday celebration. About a month out, I solicited birthday messages from his friends and family on some double-sided, self-addressed postcards that I printed and mailed along with our Christmas cards.

When I asked if I should add this option to my shop, the response was overwhelming! And, so, I'm pleased to announce that you can now find Semi-Custom Occasion Postcards in my shop. The design and ink color options are fairly simple, because it's the thoughts of the card-writers that will count most!

Just select a quantity and ink color and then provide the address to which you'd like for the cards to be mailed, and the message for the card fronts. I'll send you a digital proof within the week. Allow 2-3 weeks for the printing and shipping.

Tips for Preparing the Cards:

1. You'll want to make sure to have enough postcard stamps on hand to include with the cards so that they're sure to make it back to their recipient. USPS.com usually has a couple of designs to choose from, so place an order online or visit your local post office. Be sure you have enough regular stamps as well for mailing the outer envelopes containing your cards.

2. Prepare your envelopes. While you wait for your cards to arrive, you can order, address, and stamp your outer envelopes so that you're ready to roll with the mailing as soon as you receive them. Because the postcards are standard 4X6" size, I'd opt for what's called an A6 envelope or one that measures 4.5x6.25." This is standard envelope sizing and you can find them online (try Cards and Pockets) or most stationery shops like Paper Source.

3. Hand-write or print off a brief note with each postcard explaining what you're doing and when you'd like each person to aim to have their note in the mail. Though cards will surely trickle in, it's fun to have a steady stream of them come in as you celebrate your special person and their milestone. Want me to create a printable template for you to include? Comment below!

Valentine's Day is a great time to re-emphasize the importance of letter-writing. If you been hanging around here for any length of time, you can attest that I'm a fan of old-fashioned correspondence. Once you read these inspiring passages from famous love notes, you'll be, too.

Once in awhile, like today, I meditate on it and realize how lucky I am to share my life with the greatest woman I ever met. You still fascinate and inspire me.*

— Johnny Cash to June Carter Cash

I’d like to paint you, but there are no colors, because there are so many, in my confusion, the tangible form of my great love.

— Frida Kahlo, to her fellow artist husband, Diego Rivera

What he feels, he told me, is a strange queer tight little twitchy feeling around the inside of his throat whenever he thinks that something is happening which will require so much love and all on account of you being so wonderful.

— E.B. White to his wife (in the perspective of the family dog) upon finding out she was pregnant

...should I draw you the picture of my heart it would be what I hope you would still love though it contained nothing new. The early possession you obtained there, and the absolute power you have obtained over it, leaves not the smallest space unoccupied.

— Abigail Adams, written to John Adams in 1782

Darling – I love these velvet nights. I’ve never been able to decide … whether I love you most in the eternal classic half-lights where it blends with day or in the full religious fan-fare of mid-night or perhaps in the lux of noon. Anyway, I love you most and you ’phoned me just because you phoned me tonight – I walked on those telephone wires for two hours after holding your love like a parasol to balance me.

— Zelda Fitzgerald, written to F. Scott in the fall of 1930

The sweet sounds brought forth from the pianoforte by your clever hand can be enjoyed by twenty people simultaneously without diminishing at all the pleasure you so obligingly mean for me, and I could, with as little reason, demand from your affection that no other ears but mine be allowed to be charmed by those sweet sounds.

— Benjamin Franklin to Madame Brillon

Out of the depths of my happy heart wells a great tide of love and prayer for this priceless treasure that is confined to my life-long keeping. You cannot see its intangible waves as they flow towards you, darling, but in these lines you will hear, as it were, the distant beating of the surf.

— Mark Twain to his future wife, Olivia Langdon

*This was excerpted from a letter that Johhny Cash to June Carter in 1994 on her 65th birthday. According to a poll, his letter was named by The Independent as the "Greatest Love Letter of All Time." Read the whole thing here.